Woman who 'kidnapped great grandmother' laughs in court
A woman who allegedly kidnapped a great grandmother has laughed in court in front of her victim’s loved ones.
Irene Moschones wheeled 97-year-old Dimitra Pavlopoulou out of a Melbourne nursing home in January, sparking a huge search and terrifying the elderly woman’s family.
CCTV shows Moschones, 52, scope out Clarinda Manor before sneaking past unsuspecting staff and removing Ms Pavlopoulou from her room.
She can be seen sitting with her and holding her hand. As other visitors walk into the foyer Moschones keeps an eye on the them as they punch in the code to open the door.
She jots the code down before leaving with the great grandmother when the coast is clear.
Ms Pavlopoulou was found after a desperate plea from her family, leading to Moschones being charged with kidnapping.
The detective who interviewed her said: “Pretty much she believed that was her mum. She had a firm belief.”
Moschones’ mother passed away in 2013.
The court was told the nursing Ms Pavlopoulou wasn’t formally interviewed because her family was worried it could affect her health.
Moschones laughed and said: “She was going to die anyway”.
Moschones argued with her lawyer after she was asked to surrender her passport.
She said it was a joke and if they wanted it they could go to her storage unit and get it themselves.
The magistrate instead gave her three days to days to find it.
Moschones has pleaded not guilty to three charges and will now go to trial.
